Manchester City 2-1 Chelsea: Champions get back on track as Blues falter

Manchester City returned to winning ways with a victory over Chelsea.
A fortnight on from their damaging defeat at Anfield, City discovered themselves 12 points behind leaders Liverpool following their magnificent win at Crystal Palace, and also their name challenge appeared set to obtain another blow when N’Golo Kante put Chelsea into a deserved lead midway through the first half.
But the winners were hauled level against the run of play while Raheem Sterling had a late controversially ruled out for offside before the City comeback was completed by a brilliant solo goal from Riyad Mahrez before half-time by a ferocious equaliser from Kevin De Bruyne.
The success brings the gap to Liverpool down to eight points, even though a third beat of the year brings the streak to a conclusion of Chelsea and sees City leapfrog Chelsea.
Another dramatic, late success made before kick-off for a subdued atmosphere, but a pulsating first half of football brought the Etihad .
De Bruyne came in inches of firing City to the lead when he had been released in behind by Sergio Aguero within 5 minutes, but was the winners could muster into their opening spell that was bright before Chelsea took control.
Frank Lampard fielded Only four players that began the demolition that was 6-0 at February in the Etihad, and it revealed.
At the seven moments leading up to this quarter-hour mark, Willian whistled a shot past the article, Tammy Abraham scooped an attempt wide and Fikayo Tomori believed he’d given Chelsea the lead if he automatically lashed the ball towards goal if City failed to take care of a corner.
And Chelsea made as Kante outmuscled Benjamin Mendy to gather Mateo Kovacic pass the pressure let on 21 minutes, along with the Frenchman bundled the ball on the Ederson.
But just when it seemed Chelsea would increase their lead, City attracted level. Fortune favoured the champions as deflections off the Chelsea centre-backs sent the ball into the path of both De Bruyne and, after he cut inside onto his left wing, his shot turned .
City hit on the front for the very first time thanks to a moment of brilliance from Mahrez. A ball was assembled by the Algerian on the correct, weaved between Emerson and Kovacic prior to firing a shot during Tomori’s legs and past the unsighted Chelsea goalkeeper.
An first half threatened to unravel for Chelsea if Kepa aimless pass out from the back dropped at the foot of Aguero, but the Spaniard’s blushes were spared from the crossbar.
The degree of the period transferred to the next, with the aims of each other being peppered by either side at will. Until the rasping volley of Mahrez attracted a fingertip save from Kepa, the goal-bound shot of into a Kante turned behind.
City thought they had put Chelsea to bed if Sterling’s shot breached the defences of Kepa, but the effort was ruled by another VAR conclusion out using all the England forward adjudged to have been millimetres.
And the play of the game so nearly compounded that decision when a free-kick inches wide flashed from 30 yards, but City found the hit on a night when Chelsea were left wondering what might have been.
Man City director Pep Guardiola:”Top game, top sides. Significant opponent quality. They made it difficult for all of us. Once we conceded the goal, we started well, and we suffered a bit with the quality they had, but we scored.
“They are a high side, but we fought a great deal and got a good success. We controlled the game a whole lot better, although we endured in the minutes. Football is coming more like this – not groups coming and putting men behind the ball, managers having the guts to play”
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard:”Big areas of the performance were good, but there are bits we can improve on. It turned out to be a match, it felt as though we went and a second of a deflection for the very first goal plus quality from Mahrez feels like the difference.
“There was lots of detail in the game, however there were quite a number of times when we got in their third in either half but didn’t have that little bit of quality which we could have. Games such as this can be lost or won in the boxes, and that occurred.”
The return of this Champions League sees Manchester City sponsor Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday at 8pm, while Chelsea traveling to Valencia on Wednesday at 5.55pm.
City then travel to Newcastle at the Premier League on Saturday at 12.30pm, even until Chelsea sponsor London rivals West Ham at 3pm.